The overall long term goal of the UW Voice Research Training Program is to foster the development of translational research skills in future leaders in the field of voice science. We will provide promising predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows with comprehensive laboratory and clinical research experiences, as well as exposure to a curriculum in clinical trials, hypothesis-based research design, management, ethics, and data analysis. This is a novel training program that addresses the need for translational research education and experience by integration of both a basic science mentor and a secondary clinical mentor. In addition, the training program offers medical students a short-term summer research opportunity, to encourage future clinicians to become physician-scientists in the field of voice research. All trainees will be exposed to a unique program not typically found in doctoral programs. The current situation in most education centers is that laryngologists and speech pathologists interested in voice are getting separate training creating an artificial obstacle to bridge the gap necessary in translational research. The training program includes otolaryngologists, speech pathologists and basic scientists working closely together in curriculum and research. The combination of training in voice science with a multidisciplinary focus and translational application will make a contribution to future generations of scientists. The proposed training program is enriched by collaboration with training elements offered by the University of Wisconsin, including the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. RELEVANCE: Disruptions in voice are found in approximately 7.5 million Americans. Voice disorders are often debilitating, resulting in communicative impairment, lost income, and reductions in quality of life or occupational/scholastic achievement. According to estimates, approximately 28,000,000 workers in the US experience daily voice problems, many of whom perceive them to have a negative impact on their work and their quality of life. The overall goal of the UW Voice Research Training Program is to foster the development of translational research skills in future leaders in the field of voice science.